Monday, February 28, 2011

I think it is fair to say that all the boys on tour grew at least 10cms on the weekend as once again, the TRC U10s reigned supreme!

All the boys on tour & all of the squad who missed out on the tour should feel a sense of pride that we have pushed ourselves to prepare 2 excellent teams that played at a level exceeding our wildest imagination.

The Stormers, led by Ben & Liam…. WOW! You guys led by example and played out of your skins & this lifted every boy to play like never before. Early on you guys showed what was possible, and after a slight lapse, bounced back to play one of the best games of the weekend to beat the Centaurs B team. The fact you were able to continue that same intensity 12 hours later on Sunday morning just goes to prove you guys have the strength, courage and will to be great rugby players. Special mentions to Nick W, Shiv & Ted who also had outstanding weekends.

Results

walkover against Royal Selangor,

a narrow loss to Bintang 5-0,

followed by a healthy victory against SK Jalan Gurney,

a loss to HKFC A and then

The memorable 5-0 victory against Centaurs A.

15-0 loss to Centaurs A in the cup qtr

before beating HKFC B 17-0 in the bowl semi and

10-0 loss to Bintang in the bowl final.

The Force, led by Loic the ‘Warrior’ up front & Alastair, the ‘Little General’ in the backs, equally lifted to heights never before seen. Undefeated all weekend, and of the 96 minutes of rugby played, only a total of 30secs was played in our own half! We clearly dominated territory & possession.

As the scores show, the Force were improving game after game until they came up against the stoic defence of Centaurs A team, who clearly had been waiting for this game since the Polo Club Tournament last year. To their credit Centaurs managed to steal a 0-0 draw when the Force was unable to find a way through their defence despite being camped on Centaurs line for the duration of the game. Centaurs A faded Sunday and lost to HK in the semi.

Nevertheless, some overnight contemplation & brainstorming by the coaching brains trust resulted in the introduction of a couple of new moves all designed to drag in the opposition & to give our backs room to move.

The weekend definitely peaked in the final against Hong Kong FC with the field surrounded by supporters. Including many of the Centaurs players cheering for our boys after they decided amongst themselves to call a truce!

Again, camped deep in the HK half throughout the match, the Force looked dangerous at every touch of the ball & while there was a sense of inevitability, Hong Kong put up an extremely brave front. As time passed the fear of a breakout try floated in the back of our minds like an annoying blowie on the butt of the bull!! At one point our worst fear showed it’s ugly head when the appearance of a breakout erupted & after their extremely quick pink-shoe-wearing centre broke a tackle and passed to their winger, a try seemed almost possible…although, Jamie had other ideas as he flew across from his wing on the other side of the field to drive the boy unceremoniously into touch. (Word has it the mine shaft that has been dug to extricate the boy from deep under the sideline has been successful and the boy is fine!)….

Soon we were again threatening their line with our new moves effectively sucking in the opposition forwards. Max R played the game of his life rolling off maul after maul & ruck after torturous ruck to link either with his supporting pack or to connect seamlessly with our flying backs who never ceased to penetrate deep into opposition territory only to be stopped short or held up over the line by desperate defence.

With about 3 minutes to play, another lineout brought about by a mistake by HK saw Loic preparing to throw in. Only the slightest nod between he and Tommaso, the colossal force behind the Force, could prepare the fanatical crowd for what was about to unfold. As they have practised time and time again & with the cunning of a hunting pair of wolves prowling together eyeing their prey ….they pounced. A short lineout throw hit Tommaso’s outstretched fingertips with speed and precision as he leaped like a salmon negotiating rapids….Tommaso took off, with the speed of a gazelle out-sprinting their half-back & their desperate, chasing forward pack, flattening their hooker & winger in Jonah Lomu style leaving only carnage and destruction to crash over in the corner for the decisive score.

Celebrations erupted across the park as the boys congratulated each other as they ran back to halfway to prepare to finish the job. However, the beast was now wounded and the game concluded with the opposition defence sturdy but floundering, only to be saved by the sound of the final whistle! Each and every boy in the 15 player squad contributed this weekend with Dom & Jack also playing some of their best rugby ever. Oscar, showing exactly how a reserve player is supposed to impact on a game when he enters the battle with one of the tackles of the weekend while Alex, playing in his last tour with TRC, threw himself into each ruck without fear or compromise.

And one final mention to Max R who played on in the final at an ever increasing level of quality & intensity despite carrying a condition that was severely aggravated by the oppressive heat, but because of his devotion to his mates refused to give up, and with every request I made of him to accept a rest on the bench, promoted his game to another level. You are a champion!

Group games:

15-0 vs Royal Selangor

27-0 vs HKFC B

39-0 vs ACS(P)

41-0 vs HKFC C

0-0 vs Centaurs A

Qtr final: 29-0 vs Centaurs B

Semi Final: 17-0 vs Royal Selangor

Final: 5-0 vs HKFC A

Thanks coaches, thanks mums and dads….you made it another unforgettable experience!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Which rugby union team holds the record for the most consecutive games unbeaten (amateur or pro, any age)?According to Guinness World Records the "most successful team" record is Fielding Senior 4ths of New Zealand, 108 successive games without defeat from 1984-89.

In the last 3 years the TRC Force has won 94 consecutive games! Not bad for a group of boys who started out not knowing much about rugby nor many of the boys on their team.

BUT WHAT A YEAR THIS HAS BEEN!!!

As a group of coaches we couldn’t be luckier than to have the chance to help guide your boys as they learn about the game of rugby & learn to live in the rugby community. They are wonderful boys & Sunday mornings are an absolute pleasure!

The last 12-18 months has seen tremendous growth in this squad, so much so that we are now able to field 2 extremely competitive teams, and arguably the 2 best teams in this age group in the country. Following their first and second finish at the Barclay's Cup earlier this year, they both topped their pools at the Polo Club on Saturday against some of the best teams in the region including visiting teams from HK & KL. Unfortunately the draw meant our teams met in the semi final. Nevertheless, the whole squad stood proudly by as the Force secured the victory under trying circumstances.

These results highlight the success we have had this year in developing this squad into a close knit group who are skilled, fit & passionate, not just about the game, but about playing with their friends. There were boys playing Saturday who have been with the club for 4 years, and some for only 4 weeks, but they still went out and played as one. Under torrential rain, soggy ground and rivers of mud the boys marched on scoring tries almost at will (Force 14 tries, Stormers 11 tries) & with both teams conceding only 1 try each to opposition teams.

Special mentions to Jonah for a real captain's knock leading the Stormers, and Nick W for his driving charges, Jonathan P for tackling every boy who dared pick up the ball and Charlie G for his straight running that carved up the opposition defense! Alex for playing with so much courage despite his recently broken hand & Ted for seeing the light and deciding to play rugby...you're a natural! Joel, Tom C-E, William D, Jamie D, Nick H, Ben J, Daniel, Gus & Anand were all awesome!

The Force has too many stars! Which was most evident with the constant swapping of Dom, Jack & James off the bench. Mr Reliable - Tommaso Gibbs was at his barnstorming best, & Loic (2010 Best Player - as voted by the boys) & Max R (2010 Most Improved) both lived up to their titles. The weather wasn't conducive to expansive running of the ball, but one beautiful combination saw quick passes out to Alastair who superbly drew the opposition players creating an overlap before putting Markus away for a try in the corner. Charlie, Max, Will and the hearty bench of Tom T, Max W, Shiv & Hamish played out of their skins!

To my fellow coaches:

Ian 'Clippy' Gibbs

Dave 'Hopeless Magpie' Hope

Rahul 'I'm not late' Sen

Rob 'my knee's not that bad' Wilson

Phil 'is it hot, or is it just me' Curtis-Evans

Peter 'I shouldn't have had that last tequila' Pallister

and,

Liliana Gibbs - We would be lost without you gorgeous!

YOU GUYS ROCK!!

Thanks to all the parents for making this year just so special. Good luck to Jack, James, Tommaso & Loic on the Barbarians tour to HK next weekend. Lastly, farewell to James & Markus.

Merry Christmas and see you all in the New Year!! We start again on the 16th January!

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Tanglin Rugby Club (“TRC”) exists to promote the game of rugby to children of all ages from 4 upwards, boys and girls, in a safe and fun environment in Singapore. We are a registered society in Singapore and are also an affiliated member of the Singapore Rugby Union, the NAS for rugby in Singapore.
In capturing and nurturing their interest in rugby, we aim to encourage sportsmanship, friendship and team spirit amongst our young players, whilst fostering the need for commitment and competitiveness. We strive to produce the winning players of tomorrow by upholding these values through the structure and running of the club.
The club is run by its members, with many of the parents coaching or helping out in other ways to ensure the continued development and success of TRC. We boast a player to coach ratio of around 5:1, which underlines the commitment of our parents to get involved and make TRC the family club that it is. The social side of a rugby club is promoted with several annual events including a Dinner and Dance, a Curry Night, Awards Ceremony and Family Fun Day.